NASCAR adds more power to cars but it is still just 'a bandaid on a bullet wound'

NASCAR has bowed to fan pressure to add more horsepower to its cars for 2026 - just not nearly enough according to those same fans.

The sport is struggling right now, with TV ratings for the much-maligned playoffs being well down on 2024. And NASCAR nation has some major theories about this.

As well as that postseason system (which could be about to change), they feel the racing is not nearly as exciting in days gone by - namely because of the lack of power in the newer Next Gen cars.

The clamor for a return to more horsepower has been growing in recent months, and now we have official confirmation that there will be change in 2026.

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NASCAR confirms horsepower increase

NASCAR president Steve O’Donnell revealed that horsepower will go up from the baseline 670 to 750 in 2026 - but only at certain tracks. Namely road courses and oval tracks of less than 1.5miles in length (more on that to come later in this article).

John Probst, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer, claimed that the voices of fans had been heard, and they had played a part in this decision.

“I would say, like any other change that we are considering to the cars, we listen to the fans a lot.

“We listen to the drivers. We have stakeholders in the broadcast, OEM (manufacturers) and team competition and team business folks, so there’s always no shortage of feedback that we get.

“Our fans are very passionate, they provide very candid feedback, so that all is very important to us.”

Fans react to NASCAR move

So on the face of it this is a win for those long-suffering fans, and a positive sign that NASCAR is listening to its audience. But not so fast.

The immediate reaction to the news from some of those fans did not appear to be overwhelming joy, instead it claimed that much more is needed to return the sport to its past glories.

A look at the responses to superstar FOX insider Bob Pockrass announcing the news delivered a loud ‘not enough’ message to NASCAR. A snapshot maybe, but these appear to be diehard fans.

Those responses included the following:

“15 years ago they had 870hp. And yes this matters. It matters to fans. Horsepower is an attractant. Without it, these cars aren’t cool. And cool is also an attractant. 950+ hp would bring in a sizable audience. 750hp is not enough.”

“Bandaid on a bullet would. It should be 900hp, unrestricted. Make the cars like they were in the 2000s where it was easy for drivers to lose control. NASCAR would be more respected as a Motorsport if they pushed 1000hp.”

“Too little, too late and should have been all non-SS tracks. @NASCAR trying to quell the uproar over the racing with a tiny bandaid. Right direction, but we need to take a chainsaw to it, not a scalpel.”

“Drivers have already said it won’t make a difference. The cars need to be 900 HP”

“When will these idiots running the show listen? 750 hp is pip squeak HP. WE WANT 900+ HP AT ALL TRACKS. Also make the cars low downforce so they are difficult to drive. We want real talent winning the races with a 36 race schedule.”

“I guess any step toward more HP is a step in the right direction but I don't think it will be enough to make that significant of a difference in the racing.”

“It’s a step in the right direction but I would doubt it’s enough of a change to even be noticed”

“Wish it was at least 850 hp but a step in the right direction. Hoping it will open it up for some more passing. Looking forward to next season!!”

Like we said, this is a snapshot, there were plenty of fans who loved the move AND pretty much all said it was a step in the right direction. But the overriding sentiment was that it does not yet go far enough, and that it should be employed on ALL tracks.

How NASCAR made the decision

So why is it only a selection of tracks? And why did NASCAR not go even bigger in terms of horsepower?

Probst said higher figures were considered, but 750 “was a number that everyone felt comfortable that they could get to without having to go and redesign any of the internal parts of the engine.

"Once you go above that, you start crossing into very short-mileage engines, because you’re actually pushing them harder and harder. A lot of inefficiencies come in real quick.”

Probst, who said the change was not implemented for the current 2025 playoffs because of insufficient testing time, also addressed why only some tracks will get more horsepower.

“That gives us an opportunity to sample some of the short tracks, road courses early in the season, get a look at the engines after we’ve raced them at the new power level.

“If that all looks good, I would not rule out looking at increasing that horsepower at the mile and a halfs and above. It’s just something that we kind of want to crawl, walk, run with this, and so this is the start, looking at the increased power at the short tracks. If that looks well, and I’m not committing to this today, but we will consider expanding the use of that as we go forward.

“Now, some of the best racing we have right now is at our intermediate tracks, so it’s a scenario we’ll tread very lightly to make sure that we don’t upset something. It is a package. It’s the downforce, it’s the drag, it’s the power, it’s the tire wear, all together that’s creating those good shows.

“So don’t want to just change one for the sake of changing it and then find out later that we did something bad there and hurt the on-track product. So we’ll proceed with caution.”

So which tracks get more horsepower?

As it stands, the following tracks will go up from 670 to 750 horsepower in 2025:

Road courses: Circuit of The Americas, Watkins Glen, San Diego, Sonoma, Charlotte Roval.

Ovals: Bowman Gray Stadium, Phoenix, Darlington, Martinsville, Bristol, Dover, Nashville, North Wilkesboro, Iowa, Richmond, New Hampshire, World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway.

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